Nikolai's POV
I frowned as I saw Stephan march into my quarters, bowing a little as he faced me. I hated to be disturbed, especially by this time, but I knew that for him to be here, it had to be urgent."Alpha," Stephan bowed again. "I have news I think you'd find interesting."I cocked an eyebrow, my breath suddenly hitching. I knew it could only be one thing. For years, I had waited, each weekend, hoping he would return with positive news, or at least a vital piece of information that would be beneficial to my plans. And with the glint in his eyes this time around, I was sure something had finally clicked. Stephan was the scout of the pack and also the spy I had given the task of keeping a close eye on Jonas Verbeck and his family."Spill it," I ordered, my mind running a thousand miles per minute."Verbeck is making plans to organize a massive festive celebration at the pack by hosting different packs and also popular figures in the country.""I bowed my head thoughtfully, calculating every possible downside. "What kind of celebration is this?""It's a masquerade party to commemorate his dominance in the world of wolves. And to celebrate the success of his second daughter, Barbara. This is the perfect opportunity, Alpha."I nodded. He was right."When is this celebration supposed to hold?""The next full moon," He answered without missing a beat."Alright, you're dismissed," I stated, waving him off. I needed to go through the entire plan again, to eliminate any moves that could cost me this opportunity.My chest heaved. After eight years of waiting, it was finally time to execute the plan I already mapped out. It had taken all the self control I had to keep from myself from storming off to the Monhowl residence and unleashing my anger on them. Drew had fought against my will to stop me on several occasions. That's when I had begun to plan my revenge.When Verbeck found out that I had survived the attack, he would obviously be armed and ready, waiting for me to strike, as why vengeful man would. And that would not give me the satisfaction I craved from sweet, cold revenge.When years passed in silence, with no signs of the Selene pack barking up Jonas' door, they would start to relax, let their guard down. And that's when I would strike; when every memory of Nikolai Slade had been wiped from their minds.I had already made my personal investigation on Jonas and his family some years back. Surveying the entire territory, I had also drafted up a map of their residence as well. I couldn't risk my plans falling out of place by a flimsy loop we hadn't overseen, so I placed Stephan in charge of spying and gathering more information about them.From my research, I had discovered that Jonas had a favorite daughter whom he loved and cherished so much that he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I knew my plan had to be something that would have such an impact on him that he would have many sleepless nights. Which was why his daughter was the target.Running the plan through once more, I took out the crisp and now discolored map from the drawer and began to make some markings with a pen. I could recollect some things like the point where the main entrance stood, and the secret passageway that led to Jonas' main chambers.The defense team situated at three points in the area which used to be so tight some years back when Jonas had expected me to barge in for revenge soon after my recovery. After three years, their defenses had started to loosen up. Eventually, it had become so free that Stephan was able to perpetrate whilst bringing back updates each time he returned.As I got up to ready myself for the mission, my eyes fell on the portrait of Elle on the wall. Instinctively, my fingers traced the scar on my chest and for a moment, I couldn't help the vivid images from that day that suddenly began to swarm my mind.I shut my eyes tightly, my hand clutching my chest. "I won't fail you this time, Elle. I promise," I whispered, quickly wiping the tears that dropped from my eyes before anyone could see.The longer I stared at the portrait, the more fury bubbled in my chest. The scar in my chest throbbed, as if to remind me of my inability to protect the one I'd loved the most, reminding me of what I needed to do.I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.The time of vengeance was finally here.Liyah's POVIt was four days to the full moon. I sat at my bedside window, wondering what the festival would be like. To be in the midst of so many wolves. Everyone in the pack was up and busy making preparations for the moon festival which would consist of different packs assembling together to celebrate the full moon.Though my father had organized it to boast about his success yet again as the world most powerful and influential werewolf, it was also a medium to advertise the bravery of his beloved daughter, Barbara. His daughter who had more blood on her hands compared to her peers. Soon she would find her mate, and once again emphasis would be applied on just how much of a perfect daughter she was.I readjusted on my bed, sighing heavily. I'm not a wolf anyways, so what business does a mere man have with the moon festival? I shook my head. None of these things were my concern. I was insignificant in the picture and my pack. So I shouldn't be thinking about
Nikolai POVThe moon festival was just a few hours away. I could feel my heartbeat rapidly in my chest. The long wait for my revenge was finally over. Running the plan one more time in my head, my eyes scanned the map once more to enable me to recollect all the exit routes.I leaned lazily on the Van Drew had arranged for us for the kidnap, awaiting Stephan and the others. The material of the costume and mask I wore was made of a scratchy material and I vowed to tear it off my skin once I was done. When they arrived, we got into the car and soon, we reached the road.It was a rowdy environment; different packs all over the world gathered to celebrate one man. It was obvious that they were compelled to be here due to Jonas' reigning terror amongst werewolves. His title of the most superior alpha was not in vain. No one dared to cross or disobey him.The festival was about to kick off in a few minutes. I told Drew to move the car straight to the exit route and wait
Liyah's POVI shut my eyes from the searing pain that cut through my head as I slowly awakened, trying to take in the unfamiliar surroundings and remember how I got here.My vision was blurry, and my memory was slightly fuzzy but I could tell that I'd been unconscious for quite some time. I slowly stood to my feet, to examine the gloomy room. I felt the color drain from my face as I looked it over; dark, dirt crusted walls, and cobwebs loomed all over. And the cell-like door confirmed my suspicion that it was some kind of basement. My father had one just like this, where he used to throw offenders.The headache surfaced again, forcing me back to the ground. All I could remember was getting dragged off and bundled into a car, then knocked out by a strange face when I began to protest.My heart pounded as I tried to imagine how and why I got here. I scanned the room for escape routes and then I realized something; there was no window, only unevenly poked holes in t
Nikolai's POV Every time I remembered that I had Jonas' daughter held captive in my basement, I had a rush of two emotions; satisfaction that I had completed the first step of my plan, and anger. Anger that she was still there, anger that she was alive. She had no right living. No right to still be alive and healthy down there when she should be in pain instead. She should be writhing in pain every second. Furious, I raked my fingers through my hair, heading down to the basement to see what condition she was in. "Alpha," I heard someone greet me. I half turned to see a woman I didn't recognize. I frowned. She bowed immediately. "Make it quick," I snapped. In reply, she loosened her hold on the loose shirt wrapped around her chest. "Last night...w-was amazing," She stammered. "I had no idea you had your eyes on me all this while. Now I've figured it out I was hoping this..." She motioned to herself then me. "...would lead to something truly beauti—" "Can you shut up?!" I cut he
Liyah's POVMy entire body racked with sobs as I huddled against the wall still shaken from my encounter with my captor. I had had a pretty bad fall when he dropped me, and now I was unable to move my right leg. A tear dropped from my eyes as I tried to twist my foot to the left to see how bad it was. I realized that my ankle had taken the brunt of it.I still didn't get a good look at my kidnapper's face. The dungeon was just too dark. I had hoped to see his face, to enable me find out if I knew him from anywhere. If he was someone I knew then I would try to recollect why he would kidnap me. But I knew I had no enemies, well unless my pack counts. But apart from them, I hadn't had any encounter with anyone else that would make them want to punish me like this. The only thing I had made out so far was that he was obviously the Alpha of the pack. I could tell from the way they addressed him. But that wasn't good news either. It was rare to find a kindhearted Alp
Liyah's POVI felt like I had only just shut my eyes to sleep when I felt someone shake me awake. I opened my eyes weakly to see one of the guards looming above me."Get up," He ordered, pulling me up at the same time. As I stood to my feet I sucked in a sharp breath. My ankle was swollen and it looked even worse than yesterday. The guard didn't look like he cared as he pushed me forward, toward the door. I wobbled to the floor, wondering why the much friendlier guard wasn't here instead.As though he could read my thoughts, he walked in, taking in the sight before him and glaring at his colleague before gently holding onto my arm and helping me up. I murmured my thanks, grateful that at least one person didn't want me dead.I took shaky breaths in anticipation as they led me out of the dungeon. Getting out the dungeon wasn't an achievement, but I was thankful that I at least got to leave. As we got through the last wooden door, I instinct
Jonas' POVI stared appreciatively at the large portrait of myself that had been presented to me by a group of alphas on the moon festival. I would have liked it bigger than it was, but I kept it because it was a sign of respect from those packs. A smirk fleeted onto my lips. It's not like they had had a choice anyway. I would have any pack which didn't present a gift to myself or my daughter eliminated. The consequences of attempting to cross me were too dire.Glancing at the portrait one last time, I settled down into my chair. All my years of hard work had definitely paid off. I was basically untouchable. To crown it all, another achievement had come in the form of my daughter. I was sure there wasn't any father who was prouder of his child. Every time I watched her train, or emerge as the winner in combat, especially with male werewolves, I blessed the Moon Goddess for giving her to me. She was vicious, ruthless and powerful; everything I had ever wanted in
Nikolai's POVMy frown deepened as I observed her from my bedroom window. I didn't understand any of it. She had been working consistently, no food or water, but she never hesitated, never complained even once. It angered and surprised me at the same time. Why was she so calm about everything? It made me wondered if she had a escape plan. I had tried to torture the truth out of her, but every single time she just ended up a sobbing mess, begging at my feet. That didn't seem like someone who had a plan.As I watched her turn the cloth she was using to scrub the walls of the old balcony, i had never felt so confused in my entire life. She worked without ceasing, not stopping for once to catch her breath until her work was complete. I hated the fact that it she seemed to complete each task effortlessly. I wondered if she was only doing it to spite me. And it angered me thinking she wasn't going through any sort of pain. I needed to find other methods of making her